SPONSORED BY

Covering the coverage: A handy guide to our ACL interviews, reviews, photos and more

So, how awesome was ACL? (Correct answer: AWESOME.) Here at CultureMap, we spent the weekend seeing as many bands as possible, sampling tasty treats and writing plenty of reviews for all of you. If you were too busy having fun at the fest to stay on top of our coverage, fear not: we've collected our top posts here for your easy perusal. Check out our reviews, interviews, photos and guides from ACL 2011 (and let us know what your fest favorites were).

ACL in Photos

Our intrepid CultureMap photo editor, Jessica Pages, heads onto the field to get some shots of the music, the crowds and plenty of madness.

Twin Shadow's stylish sadness: "Their debut Forget was produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, but you'd never know it from the music within, which channels early solo Morrissey and The Psychedelic Furs'Mirror Moves (with just a dash of chillwave) to pitch-perfect effect, showcasing an artist recalling youthful triumphs and tragedies with both nostalgia and regret."

Elbow: U2 and Jay-Z love them. You will, too: "If you've not listened to Elbow, they've name-checked Talk Talk and Peter Gabriel-era Genesis as sonic touchpoints, and a fawning press have often compared (or lumped them in) with their UK 'literary rock' peers like Doves, Radiohead, and I Am Kloot."

James Blake's reverb-heavy hits: "Friday at ACL, Blake faced the challenge of bringing his music to a large audience of talking, drinking festivalgoers, many of which were likely hearing him for the first time."

King Kanye takes the throne: "As the show begins, choreographer Yemi Akinyemi’s dancers take the stage—you might recognize some of them as those exotic ballerinas from last year's avant-garde "Runaway" video—while West is covertly toted into the middle of a crowd inside of a giant red trunk."

Austin's own Hayes Carll, modern Americana troubador: "Carll's skill as a songwriter have led to a catalog of tunes from the past decade that are identifiable for a growing audience. These are the kind of songs that will become your companion on the road: you can relate to the reality and laugh at the subtle humor infused into most, if not all, of his tunes."

Iron and Wine offer a rainy jazz odyssey: "Maybe it was the rain—sorely needed, of course, but hilariously ill-timed to coincide with the festival after so many dry months—or maybe it was the 11 musicians on the stage, each of whom seemed to belong to a slightly different band."

Fitz and the Tantrums and Skrillex dance it out: "The L.A. sextet probably doesn't like being called “retro” or "revivalists," though it's easy to see why they would fall into that swath: style plays a big part in the whole package, with frontman Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick strutting around like some John Waters extra, dapper maroon suit and grey skunk streak accenting the soulful 1960s ballast of co-vocalist Noelle Scaggs."

The Belle Brigade's talent rings clear at ACL: "There is something magical about familial harmonies. Combined with the energy that brother and sister Ethan and Barbara Gruska and the rest of The Belle Brigade brought to the Honda Stage Saturday, the mix of multi-layered tunes and endearing stage presence made me an instant fan."

Empire of the Sun, headliner-in-waiting: "Luke Steele, the band’s front man, used a myriad of vocal effects and multiple costume changes to keep even the most dedicated fans on their toes throughout the show."

The Head and The Heart bring sunshine and harmonies: "The band were impressed with the turnout, simply stating: "I like Texas. Wow!" From the early notes of "Coeur D'Alene," there were handclaps, easygoing harmonies, and a general sense that this was the right way to start one's final day of the festival."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. reps their motor city pride: "After a raucous set at the Legion House the night prior, one would have expected a languid, half-hungover appearance. However, DEJJ came out firing, turning the Honda Stage into a playpen for smart glitch pop, layered Beach Boys-themed harmonies and enough wardrobe changes to make your head spin."

Joseph Arthur, Sunday's diamond in the rough: "Playing unaccompanied, Arthur filled the stage with an electric guitar and his own voice (and a couple of canvases for painting), serving up the evocative sort of zag-where-you-thought-they-might-zig songwriting that he's built his career on."

Artist Discovery

The Antlers: "There’s no gripping, overarching back-story on Break Apart, which comes as a bit of a relief for those still stuck with an emotional hangover from the subjects presented by Silberman's haunting falsetto on Hospice."

Best bets for conquering your ACL snack cravings: "This is for the newbies, who may not quite understand that this mob-scene may be laidback in pure Austin style; but, when it comes to food and beer, you’ve gotta play it smart, or you’ll end up missing the best part."

10 years of pure festival joy—ACL delivers: "It's one thing to create an event that's kind of fun and makes people money; it's another thing to create a festival simply because you are a huge music fan and want to do it right."